Tuesday, April 25, 2017 | 2pm – 3pm EST

This webinar provided a background description of restorative justice approaches for working with youth involved with the law, suggestions for integrating restorative justice approaches into your work, and an example from a community-based youth program. It was a follow up to our last webinar,Supporting Positive Outcomes for Youth Involved with the Law, which was based on our recently launched Research to Practice report. In both the last webinar and report, we provide a high level overview of the impact of the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA) and argue that punitive approaches to youth justice may entrench or exacerbate harm. The Youth Criminal Justice Act enables the provision of extrajudicial community-based youth diversion and re-integration supports as an alternative.

Rick Kelly describes how restorative justice processes take a holistic approach to reparation, unlike punitive approaches. A restorative justice approach “involves the victim, the offender, and the community in a search for solutions which promote repair, reconciliation, and reassurance.” Zainab Godwin, Manager of the Youth Justice Department at For Youth Initiative describes how a restorative approach can be applied in a community-based youth justice program context using the example of the R.I.S.E. program (Re-integrating the Socially Excluded) at FYI.

Rick is a Certified Trainer and Facilitator of Restorative Practices (IIRP). His experience includes of over 40 year of work with youth in roles as varied as: street worker, clinician, play therapist, community development worker, consultant, supervisor and manager and educator. Since 2002, Mr. Kelly has been providing training, education, youth justice conferencing and research in restorative practices while supporting program and curriculum transformation for colleges, school boards, children’s mental health facilities and grass roots youth serving agencies using restorative principles and peacemaking practices.

With a BA (Hons) in Criminology and Justice Policy studies from University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Zainab is passionate about engaging youth who have been in trouble with the law. She is also currently completing her MA in Immigration and Settlement Studies at Ryerson University.